Projects & Progress

Building Together completely updates our Connors Hill and Sherwood Park facilities and eliminates our entire Southeast mortgage. Scroll down to read about our progress, view media related to each project, and understand our future plans. Continue scrolling to explore some long-range possibilities beyond this phase.

Master Plan DEVELOPMENT
Connors Hill | Completed 2017

The Connors Hill facility was constructed in 1973. As we approached the 50-year mark in the facility, we initiated plans for crucial updates. Additionally, we had recently acquired the lot just north of the Connors Hill gym, sparking dreams of potential future expansion. From 2015-2017, with substantial prayer and congregational input, our Connors Hill Development Team formulated a long-term plan for the redevelopment of the entire facility, eventually leading to a northward expansion. This plan was presented to the congregation.

The Road to Redevelopment document outlines our original phased approach to development. While we adjusted the order of these projects based on fundraising rates, the fundamental blueprint remains the same, continuing to guide our phased approach.

Purchase and Renovation
Southeast | Completed 2017

The Southeast site's journey began in 2012, meeting in various locations, including the Connors Hill gym, Hillview Baptist basement, and Edith Rogers Jr. High. In 2014, a team was assembled to find a permanent home for this growing congregation. In 2017, the church approved the purchase of our current site near Summerside. The original purchase included six new bays zoned as "light industrial." Full development of the site allowed for a 300-seat auditorium, supporting kids ministry, foyer, and office space. After making a down payment, the church approved a mortgage of $3,767,583. The inaugural worship service in the new facility took place in August 2017.

Rezoning
Connors Hill | Completed 2017

In the 1970s, our land had been purchased in separate parcels, and according to the city, we could "not add a doghouse on our land" without combining and rezoning our land. Through a successful process, we changed our land to Urban Services zoning, allowing for our continued use as a church and opening the door to building on 90% of our land, paving the way for an eventual north expansion.

Building Together Campaign 1
All Sites | 2018-2020

With the planning completed for Connors Hill and the purchase of the Southeast facility, it was time to begin raising funds. Through congregational engagement and prayer, our leadership felt led to pursue these projects as a whole church rather than separately between sites, giving birth to the name "Building Together." In these first three years, we received $1,873,089 in contributions and completed numerous projects.

Exterior Cladding
Connors Hill | Completed 2018

A significant portion of the facility was covered with imitation marble siding, and over the years, much of it had begun to crack and fall away. For a couple of years, we even had to close off our west side wheelchair ramp due to the crumbling facade. We replaced the cladding with a new insulated wall treatment and acrylic stucco. We upgraded the exterior lighting to improve safety and create a more appealing visual effect. We replaced the frosted vertical sanctuary windows with transparent, energy-efficient glazing to establish a visible connection with the outdoors. Overall, it was a significant improvement in neighborhood visual appeal.

Parking Lot
Connors Hill | Completed 2019

As part of the rezoning process, the city required us to reconstruct the triangular parking lot along Connors Road. The original lot was grandfathered in after purchasing it from a restaurant, and much of the parking was technically on city property. The update significantly improved the neighborhood appeal of this lot, and we ran electrical to allow for the future construction of a lit sign on Connors Road.

Gym Roof
Connors Hill | Completed 2019

PROJECT COST: $42,762

Our roof sections were aging and had several active leaks. We decided to replace them in a staged approach, starting with the gym, followed by the sanctuary and then the foyer. Metal flashing was updated to improve the appearance. This was the first of the three stages, an important step before renovating the inside of the facility.

Gift of Facility (SP) | 2020
PROJECT COST: $0

As a surprising provision, Centre Park Church in Sherwood Park approached us and asked us to consider taking over their church facility and launching a site. They had unanimously voted to close their church due to a decade of decline but wanted it to remain a church and not be redeveloped differently. After a prayerful process, our church voted to move forward, and the facility was transferred to Central.

Main Floor
Sherwood Park | Completed 2021

PROJECT COST: $307,823

The Sherwood Park facility was in desperate need of updates after a decade of being under-resourced. We decided to renovate the full main floor before launching the ministry, including the auditorium, foyer, washrooms, and office space. By God’s grace, when we invited the church toward this initiative, 100% of the needed funds were given in one offering in May 2021.

Sanctuary
Connors Hill | Completed 2022

PROJECT COST: $395,452

The Connors Hill sanctuary has never been significantly updated since it was built in 1973. This renovation updated the carpet, upholstery, paint, stage backdrop, baptismal, and the audiovisual system. We added a centre aisle, moved the media booth off-center and added windows along the back wall for visible connection from the foyer. Sanctuary upgrades indicate the priority of worship at the center of all that we do.

Public Launch
Sherwood Park | February 2022

After successful Core Group and Soft Launch stages, the Sherwood Park site publicly launched in February 2022.

Building Together Campaign 2
All Sites | 2022-2025

To maintain momentum with Building Together, we initiated an updated campaign focus in 2022 to enhance core ministry spaces. To learn more about this stage of Building Together or to contribute, please visit our 2022-2025 Campaign page.

Sanctuary Roof
Connors Hill | Completed 2022

PROJECT COST: $243,822

The second of three sections of our roof was updated, including the sanctuary roof and the challenging transition between the sanctuary and foyer, which had caused leakage problems for years. A single-piece membrane was added across the transition to prevent future issues, and flashing was updated for a refreshed look.

Kitchen
Sherwood Park | Completed 2023

PROJECT COST: $143,976

When we acquired the Sherwood Park facility, the kitchen was extremely run down and unusable for any functions serving food to those outside our church. We have fully upgraded the kitchen to a beautiful, licensed commercial kitchen enabling countless types of ministry and outreach events.

FOB ACCESS
All Sites | Completed 2023

PROJECT COST: $15,382

We added a control system to the exterior doors in each of our facilities to enable simpler and safer access for church events, outreach, and rental opportunities.

Gym & FIRESIDE ROOM Update
Connors Hill | COMPLETED 2024

PROJECT COST: $545,459

The Connors Hill gym is a highly utilized, multipurpose space, but for over a decade, it has been in need of repairs and updates to be used fully. This project reconfigured gym access doors to facilitate gym rentals, replaced the floor with a rubber-type surface (able to expand seamlessly when the gym is enlarged with the future North Expansion), added volleyball/basketball/pickleball hardware and lines, and added windows to the stairwells to reduce the dark, closed feel. As the only gym across our three facilities, this update represents innumerable new opportunities to say “yes” to outreach, kids/youth events, sport leagues, rentals, and more.

We also updated our gym foyer, washrooms and fireside room to complete the ability to host a variety of events.

Current Progress
All Sites | NOVEMBER 2024

Since the beginning of Building Together in 2017 through the end of September 2024, we have received $3,468,318 in gifts and commitments. We’ve reduced our Southeast mortgage by $921,337to $2,846,246 and completed major updates at Connors Hill and Sherwood Park. We are thankful to the Lord for His provision and to the people of Central for their continued generosity!

In the current 2022-2025 phase (finishing spring 2025), we have received $1,063,390 in gifts and commitments towards our $1,500,000 goal. We are grateful to report that the CH sanctuary roof and the CH gym have now been completed, along with a further significant reduction for our SE mortgage.

We hope to raise an additional $500,000 by next spring to stay on track for completing the basement and kids ministry spaces at Connors Hill by summer 2025, and at Sherwood Park by 2026, while also reducing debt on our Southeast site.

Kids Area & Full Basement
Connors Hill | Current PHASE

2024 ESTIMATE: $530,000

The Connors Hill basement is the hub of significant activity on Sunday mornings (kids ministry) and throughout the week (various ministries), but has not been updated for decades. This project completely updates the basement (other than the gym) to make it an inspiring and safe place for our kids to grow up in Jesus. The main wall in the large group room will be removed, and numerous wall windows will be added throughout to increase transparency. Washrooms will be updated, along with flooring, paint, lighting, and ceiling tiles. These updates will make our basement much more welcoming and usable for kids' ministry and will significantly increase options for effectively hosting other ministry, outreach, and rental events.

Kids Area & Full Basement
Sherwood Park | Current PHASE

2023 ESTIMATE: $200,000

The Sherwood Park basement is a highly utilized space bursting with kids on Sunday mornings, full of life through the week with our partner preschool, and used for all kinds of other midweek events. This project fully updates the entire basement, including washrooms, and will reconfigure the basement for present-day use. With our newly updated kitchen, this update will help us do the things we’re doing more effectively as well as being able to say “yes” to many new opportunities.

Final South Roof
Connors Hill | Current PHASE

2023 ESTIMATE: $180,000

The final section of the Connors Hill roof sits over our foyer. It will be updated, including flashing, completing the re-roofing of our entire facility.

Mechanical Systems
Connors Hill | Current PHASE

2018 Estimate: $250,000

This critical update will replace the sanctuary air handling unit, the boiler, and the gym air handling unit (all nearing the end of their lives). Good stewardship requires that we pay attention to the hidden things that may become problems if ignored.

Elevator
Sherwood Park | Future

2023 ESTIMATE: $250,000

We plan to dig a shaft outside the current footprint of the facility to add an elevator from the foyer down to the fellowship and kids ministry areas. This is necessary to enable everyone to be able to access our full facility.

Signage
All Sites | Future

2023 ESTIMATE: $100,000

This project will add signage and increase visibility at all three sites. At Connors Hill, we’ll add a sign on the corner of Connors Hill as well as on the east-facing side of our facility, near the most utilized entrance. At Southeast, we’ll add a sign on the top of the back side of the facility facing Summerside. At Sherwood Park, we’ll update the temporary sign on the east side of the building and add a new cross facing west.

Combining Parking
Connors Hill | Future

2018 ESTIMATE: $40,000

We will combine the two divided parking lots adjacent to the church to increase parking space and improve flow. New lot lighting, improved landscaping, and two outdoor basketball nets will be added. This enhancement aims to increase safety, visual appeal, and provide opportunities for neighborhood basketball, emphasizing our desire to open our doors to the community.

Parking Lot
Sherwood Park | Future

2021 ESTIMATE: $150,000

The Sherwood Park parking lot was quickly built without proper drainage. This update will add drainage, reslope the lot, and update other features.

Entrances and Infill
Connors Hill | Future

2018 ESTIMATE: $600,000

We will infill the northeast and northwest entrances behind the sanctuary, complete with basement storage and new entrances at ground level. A Music and Video Room will be created in the west infill, increasing opportunities for worship band practice and video creation. The garbage bin area will be concealed, and storage space for outdoor tools and maintenance equipment will be added, removing the unsightly garbage area from the northeast entrance.

An upgraded Northeast Entrance in the east infill will eliminate the “back door” feel, making it more welcoming for Alpha, Youth Ministries, Conversation Cafe, and other gym events. A new inviting West Entrance with an indoor wheelchair lift will be created, putting the crumbling exterior stairs into an indoor space and removing the current double doors to give more space to the sanctuary foyer. A new inviting East Entrance will be established, enhancing people flow at high traffic times and connecting the basement with the sanctuary foyer. Clear and attractive entrances speak a word of welcome and put guests at ease as they try to find their way into the building.

Landscaping
Connors Hill | Future

2018 ESTIMATE: $60,000

We will landscape the facility in a cohesive and beautiful way to bring together all the updates leading up to this point.

North Expansion
Connors Hill | Future

2017 ESTIMATE: $5,300,000

The North Expansion is a significant project offering positive impact in multiple ways for worship, community, and mission. It includes a lower level with a community foyer, youth room, expanded kitchen and pantry, washrooms, and an expanded gym. The main level features a multipurpose prayer room with overflow meeting space, supporting washrooms, and foyer space. The second level consists of an office suite connected to the multipurpose prayer room. This expansion significantly balances tension points in our facility and provides space for various events and ministries.

Foyer Update
Connors Hill | Future

2017 ESTIMATE: $570,000

Interior updates include removing existing offices to open up the foyer, adding a new multi-stall washroom group, creating a café area, and adding windows to the south face of the building. Exterior improvements tie in remaining unrenovated components, add updated signage, and make necessary final landscaping improvements. This unification enhances visual appeal and extends a welcome to guests.

Future Opportunities
Southeast & Sherwood Park | Future

As time goes on, we will continue to explore future expansion options for Southeast and Sherwood Park. At Southeast, there may be opportunities to buy and renovate additional bays, possibly expanding the auditorium and adding a gym. At Sherwood Park, a footprint expansion may allow for a larger auditorium and support space for ministry, outreach, and other endeavors.